Hong Kong / Beijing

Our next stop after Vietnam was Hong Kong, although the ship only docked there for one night. From Hong Kong the MV Explorer sailed north to Shanghai, arriving three days later. There were no classes during the trip from Hong Kong to Shanghai, and SAS students were allowed to travel throughout China meet the ship in Shanghai. Like many students, I signed up for a trip to Beijing. We departed the second day in Hong Kong and arrived in Shanghai the day before the ship left.

Day 1

Henry, JR, Rob and I got off the ship at around 11 am and explored the harbor area before their FDP at 1:30. The ship was docked on the mainland and not the actual Hong Kong Island (where the main downtown area is located), but there were still lots of commercial buildings, restaurants and shops near the docks. We first found an ATM and a place for JR to exchange money and then walked through an indoor market. Afterwards Rob and JR stopped for some food while Henry and I looked at the surrounding shops. We saw an Irish pub and decided that we should try and organize a pub crawl in the evening. When we got back to the ship we devised a plan of action and started writing out tickets to the event as if it was an official FDP.

While the three of them went on their real FDP from 1:30 until 5:00 I walked around the city and found several bars that would be good spots for the crawl. I talked to several waiters and waitresses at bars on the mainland near the Irish pub, and then I took the ferry across the harbor to Hong Kong Island. I ended up getting off in the financial district, and there weren’t that many bars or restaurants around, so I walked in the direction of the second ferry stop. Several blocks from where the ferry landed there were over a dozen bars, so I made note to take the other ferry instead of the first one I had taken earlier. After looking over the area I took the ferry back and went to the ship to give the other guys the updates.

Hong Kong Harbor

Before we had dinner on the boat Rob made a big sign that looked like the ones the trip leaders use for SAS trips, and Henry made a sign-in sheet for everyone who wanted to join. When we met in Timitz Square at 7 pm our group was about 15 people, which was a good turnout. Our first stop was the Irish pub, followed by two more on the same street. Then we took the ferry to the island and made one more stop.

 Eventually we took a cab to a place where a bunch of other SAS kids were supposed to be going. There were several bars on the street with crowds of people standing both inside and out on the street (no cars were allowed in the area). We saw a lot of people we knew and hung out there for awhile before taking a taxi back to the docks. When I got back I started packing for my Beijing trip and went to bed soon after.

Arguably the best skyline in the world

Day 2

I woke up at 9:00, showered, finished packing and headed to the union by 9:30 for my trip meeting. We checked in, filled out a form for the Chinese government, and then loaded up the buses for the airport. Our flight did not leave until 1:20, but the drive was over 30 minutes and we had to check in and go through customs. After I got through security I ate lunch and bought a magazine for the flight, which lasted three hours. I knew it would be much colder in Beijing, but I wasn’t really sure what to expect. I was also running low on clean laundry because our section of the boat had not had a laundry day since before Malaysia.

When we walked off the plane it was in the 50’s, and many of us, like me, were wearing shorts and t-shirts (mostly because Hong Kong was warm, not because we didn’t know it would be cooler in Beijing). I was planning on buying a warmer jacket, but in the meantime all I had packed was a sweater, one pair of jeans and a long sleeve t-shirt. We got through the airport and took two buses to our hotel, which was located on the Tsinghua University campus. After checking in we ate dinner at the hotel, and then the night was free for us to do what we wished.

I walked around the campus with Mike, from Denver University, Ben Okan, from Cornell, and Rachel, from the University of San Diego. Because we didn’t know where exactly we were going it took us over half an hour to get off campus. Once in the city we walked for several blocks and found a restaurant called Touch 9. It was pretty quiet but we did not mind, plus we were just happy to get out of the cold. Ben, Mike and I had a few beers (Rachel is allergic to alcohol!) before walking back to campus and calling it a night.

Day 3

We were scheduled to meet in the lobby at 7:30 so I got up at 7 and had breakfast at the hotel restaurant beforehand. As we were boarding the buses for the ride to the Great Wall our trip leader read a letter from our dean, Jack Van de Water, informing us that one of our fellow students had been hit and killed by a car in Hong Kong the first night. I was not sure who exactly the kid was, but it still put a damper on the upcoming trip. The bus ride lasted around an hour, and I took a nap on the way. We had two hours at the wall, and I climbed up to one of the highest points in the area with Mike and Rachel. We got some cool pictures of us with one of the guards and of the view of the surrounding mountains.

Great Wall of China

From the wall we drove back to Beijing and paid a short visit to the zoo to see the giant pandas. We then had lunch and drove back to campus to meet some of the students. We went to an outdoor recreation area which had several basketball courts and soccer fields, and we had the chance to play sports with them. I played basketball, although I hadn’t played on a real hoop since the summer and was wearing jeans, a long sleeve t-shirt, and pumas. I also talked to a couple students, which was a fun experience. The interaction time lasted for several hours, and at 6 our group walked to one of the dining halls for dinner. The food (buffet style) was good but we were in our own room and didn’t get to interact with the Chinese students.

They are better than they look!

Once dinner was over I went back to the hotel, took a shower and went out with several SAS students, one of which has a friend studying in Beijing. We stopped at a mall to buy warmer clothes (I got a jacket) and then met up with the friend. We saw his dorm, walked around the campus, and met three other international students he studies with. Our group piled into several taxis and we rode to a club that the students had suggested (they came as well). The entrance was free but the drinks were expensive, so we didn’t have much. Even so we stayed a long time because the club itself was fun, with dancing and even a laser light show. It was also far from our hotel – more than 30 minutes without the walk back through campus. We didn’t get back until late and had to meet in the lobby the next morning by 8 am.

Day 4

I got up at about 10 till 8, threw on some clean clothes and went down to the lobby. Our first stop of the day was Tiananmen Square and the Forbidden City. We walked as a group through Tiananmen Square and had two hours of free time to explore the Forbidden City by ourselves. I walked with Mike, Ben Okan and Rachel through the city, and we saw several SAS students that we knew who were traveling independently. Afterwards we visited the Temple of Heaven for an hour, followed by lunch. From lunch we went to the silk market, which is a five story indoor market with tons of goods, from sneakers and clothes to electronics. I bought souvenirs and walked through the floors with Mike, and we had a good time bargaining and joking with the shopkeepers. We also saw Henry, JR and Rob at the market (they were going on an independent trip to Beijing).
 

The Forbidden City (Tiananmen Square is behind the photographer)

Inside the SIlk Market

Before going back to the bus we grabbed street food and water for less than $3 total. The group went to an acrobatic show at 7 pm, which was amazing. Gymnasts preformed a range of stunts, including fitting 12 people on one bicycle and flipping through a series of hoops stacked on top of each other. By the time we got back to the hotel it was close to 9 pm, and I went out to the same restaurant with Mike and Ben for awhile before calling it a night.

Day 5

We checked out of the hotel and met in the lobby again at 8 am, this time to go to the Summer Palace. We explored the palace grounds on our own for two hours, and afterwards we ate a fantastic lunch that included Peking duck. When the lunch ended we headed to the Olympic stadiums, which I had been the most excited for out of the entire trip itinerary. The bus parked next to the arena where the basketball games had been played, although we did not get to go inside. Instead we made our way across the street to the Water Cube (the major Olympic buildings were all situated close to one another).
 

Summer Palace

We were allowed to walk inside and see the pools from the stands. We took pictures of the diving platforms and the pool where Phelps swam, although it was not filled with water at the time. There was some confusion as to where the group was supposed to meet up, and about half of us got separated from the trip leaders. Luckily someone had a phone and called our tour guide, and she met up with us to hand out the tickets to the Birds Nest. Although the stadium sat 90,000 (as opposed to over 100,000 for the Horseshoe), it looked even bigger because of the medal decoration on the outside. It was really neat up close but looked even better when we drove past it from a distance. We also got to go inside the Birds Nest, and they let us walk on part of the track (which was covered).

The Bird's Nest Olympic Stadium

The Water Cube

Since we were running low on time we only stayed in the stadium for about 15 – 20 minutes and then hustled back to the bus. Our next stop was the airport, and when we got there the trip leaders told us we had to wait about 30 minutes to check in because it was too early. When we finally did check in we found out that the flight had been delayed from 6:20 to 7:00 (not too bad but still frustrating considering we had to cut our time short at the stadium). Mike and I looked around the terminal for Olympic gear but found hardly any, so we just picked up a meal at one of the restaurants before boarding.

The flight was less than two hours, but by the time we got out of the airport, drove to the ship and waited in the long line to have our bags searched and check in it was past 11 pm. Even so, Mike, a few others from our trip and I decided to explore Shanghai and find a good bar. We got lucky and ended up at an inexpensive, laid back place where students and locals hang out. We were some of the only SAS kids there, but it was a blast and we stayed out really late. Due to the full day of traveling combined with less than normal sleep over the past few nights I was exhausted.

Don't miss the nightlife in Shanghai

Day 6

I tried to wake up the next morning but ended up falling back asleep and not getting up until after lunchtime. Instead of rushing out into the city and spending more money I stayed on board the ship, ate a meal at the snack bar and started my journal for China before on ship time at 6 pm.